The bottom line for most organizations is profit. This is the metric for evaluating the value and importance of everything—people, processes, value propositions, initiatives, and so forth. Other considerations—such as whether the value proposition is truly beneficial or whether major character flaws in people matter—are easily overlooked if the organization is making the profit the senior leaders desire.

Management philosophy based on profit as the primary metric of success is based on a naturalistic presupposition. Naturalism assumes that everything can be explained by natural law, that is, there is no divine intervention. Presumably, there is either no creator (the atheistic assumption) or, if there is a creator, he is not engaged with his creation (the deistic assumption). Consequently, there is no divine engagement in the workplace.

Many organizational leaders profess to be Christians but in their roles in the workplace they function as either atheists or deists. At best, they pray asking God to bless their organizations, that is, they ask God to enable them to make a profit—preferably a large profit. Such leaders are prone, for example, to tolerate major character flaws in people for the sake of profit.

Is this management philosophy licit from a biblical perspective?

A biblical view of management is firmly tied to the Creation Mandate.¹ The reason organizations exist is to serve as tools to rule God’s creation as his representatives. This rulership is expressed through growth and mastery of the physical universe. While profit is essential to this, it is not the most important metric. Rather, the seminal metric is alignment with the will and ways of God. This means not only organizational alignment but individual alignment. The promise of Scripture is that as people and organizations align with the will and ways of God, he will provide the resources, such as money, requisite to support his purpose for the people and the organizations.² Therefore, alignment with God trumps profit as a metric for success.

Contrary to atheism and deism, the above Scripture informs us that God is engaged in his creation. He promises that if we humbly submit to him, he will positively respond. Humility is an attitude of submission to the will and ways of God. Consequently, humility is a predicate to alignment with God, which is the seminal metric of success.

Given this truth, organizational leaders must pay careful attention to biblical guidance on aligning individuals in the organization with the will and ways of God. Furthermore, there is a promise from God expressed in James 4:10: as individuals humble themselves before God, he will exalt them. One way to understand this exaltation from God is that he will grant favor and blessings to them. Applying this to work means that humble workers will enjoy the favor of the Creator in their work. This intimates that humble workers will be favored workers who will then be excellent workers. Therefore, humility (going low) is the way to raise the bar of excellence for individuals and organizations.

Here is your business tip. Management must humble themselves (go low) before God to raise the bar of excellence. Accordingly, management must recognize that God is engaged in his creation and grants favor when individuals and organizations work in alignment with his will and ways. Therefore, humble management will seek humble workers. Such workers will enjoy the favor of God in their work and display traits such as submission to authority and teachability. An organization built on humility as a seminal virtue will enjoy God’s favor, which will be manifested by healthy, efficient, and productive individuals and organizations. Going low will raise the bar of excellence and produce a profit, as well.

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1. Genesis 1:26–28.
2. Matthew 6:33.